– Mental health crisis intervention
– Family seeking help for mental health crisis.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : In a tragic incident that occurred in Koreatown, Los Angeles, a 40-year-old man named Yong Yang was fatally shot by a Los Angeles police officer in his parents’ home last month. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that Yang was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time. Prior to the shooting, Yang’s mother had reached out to the L.A. County Department of Mental Health seeking help for her son, who was feeling paranoid and unsafe. Yang, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder over a decade ago, had gone to his parents’ home seeking refuge.
The situation escalated when a worker from the Department of Mental Health, who had been dispatched to the scene, called 911 and claimed that Yang had attacked him. When the police arrived, they attempted to get Yang to leave the apartment peacefully, but he refused. Tragically, a short time later, one of the officers shot Yang while he was holding a kitchen knife in the living room, resulting in his death.
This incident is just one of 14 shootings by the LAPD this year, with three involving individuals dealing with mental illness or experiencing a mental health crisis. In Yang’s case, his family had called county authorities seeking an alternative crisis response that did not involve police officers, but law enforcement was still summoned to the scene.
The Department of Mental Health stated that crisis teams are trained to de-escalate situations without police intervention, but sometimes law enforcement assistance is required when a person remains an imminent threat to themselves or others despite the department’s efforts.
Between January and May of this year, the county responded to nearly 11,500 calls, with around 6% resulting in mental health workers calling law enforcement for assistance. A recent investigation by LAist revealed that 31% of shootings by L.A. city police between 2017 and 2023 involved individuals perceived by officers to be dealing with mental illness or experiencing a mental health crisis.
The circumstances surrounding Yang’s shooting have raised questions about the handling of mental health crises by law enforcement. Yang’s family members have expressed their concerns about the use of lethal force in such situations and have called for accountability in cases involving individuals with mental health issues.
As the community grapples with this tragic event, Yang’s family continues to seek answers and justice for their son. They believe that more could have been done to de-escalate the situation and avoid the fatal outcome. In the aftermath of this incident, they are advocating for better mental health support and crisis intervention measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future..
– LA Family Called County Clinicians During Mental Health Crisis
– Family Called County Clinicians, Not Police, Tragic Outcome.
